Olympia

Olympia HISTORY

Olympia was a vibrant Ancient Greek city. It is believed that the site of Olympia was inhabited from 3000 BC, however it was after the fall of the Mycenaean civilisation that the city began to flourish and, by 900 BC it was already considered an important religious site.

The Olympic Games
In 776 BC the first Olympic Games were held in the city in honour of the Greek deity, Zeus. The games at Olympia were a national event and attracted participants and spectators from around the country, raising Olympia’s status. They would continue until 394 AD when Roman Emperor Theodosius I, seeing them as a "pagan cult", put them to an end.

Olympia’s Growth
Over time, the city began to develop and grow. Today the result of this gradual growth can be seen at Olympia through sites such as the Treasuries, the Temple of Hera, both of religious importance and contained in the sacred precinct known as the Altis and the Pelopion, the supposed tomb of the mythical Pelops. These were built in around 600BC.

Even the stadium in which the Olympic Games were played was upgraded, a purpose built area being built in around 560 BC and able to seat approximately 50,000 people. The remains of this impressive stadium are still visible today.

Classical Period
Olympia reached its peak during the classical period and it was at this time that many of the other sites which can be seen there now were built, most notably the Temple of Zeus. This was a vast religious structure the ruins of which were located in the Altis area.

The Temple of Zeus was later entirely destroyed, first by fire and then in an earthquake. Archaeologists were however able to excavate several sculptures and artefacts believed to have originated from the building, which are now on show at the nearby Olympia Archaeological Museum.

Hellenistic Period
Other impressive sites at Olympia were built later during the Hellenistic Period. These include the remains of the fourth century BC Philippeion memorial to the family of Alexander the Great and the Leonidaion. There are also several other impressive sites, many of them built during the Roman period.

Olympia is well signposted, making it easy to tour the site and understand how it might have looked in its heyday. If you want to know more about Olympia, you can visit the Olympia Archaeological Museum.

Olympia TOURIST INFORMATION

DIRECTIONS TO Olympia

The Ancient site of Olympia is just south of the modern town by the same name in the Peloponnese along route Achaias Olympias-Lala. Most people visit Olympia via organised tour. It is around a 4 hour drive from Athens. Olympia has a train station, but all trains head to Pyrgos to the west and then you can change to other destinations. However, even here you cannot go direct to Athens, but have to stop in Corinth and change.

LOCAL AMENITIES

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Olympia OPENING TIMES AND TICKET PRICES

Olympia is open daily, 8am-7pm in summer and 8am-6:30pm in winter.
Entry costs €6 for the archaeological site or €9 for a combined ticket with the museum. Discounts available and there are also several “free days” including 6 March, 5 June, 18 April and 18 May.

Olympia ADDRESS

Olympia PHONE NUMBER

Olympia EMAIL

Just as empires rise and fall so do entry fees and opening hours! While we work as hard as we can to ensure the information provided here about Olympia is as accurate as possible, the changing nature of certain elements mean we can't absolutely guarantee that these details won't become a thing of the past. If you know of any information on this page that needs updating you can add a comment above or e-mail us.